David Carl Edelman
David C. Edelman (born 1961) was Chief Marketing Officer at Aetna[1] from 2016 to 2020, leaving after the merger with CVS.[2] Since July, 2021, he has been a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Business School.[3]
Education
He graduated from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York in 1978.[4]
Edelman attended Harvard University from 1978 to 1982. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1982, and after 18 months at Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, subsequently earned his MBA degree, with an emphasis in marketing, from Harvard Business School in 1986.[5]
Career
Edelman began his career at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) from 1986 until 1999.[6] He served as a Partner and Vice President and was instrumental in building their e-commerce practice and “Segment of One Marketing” strategy service line. He ran the marketing for their East Coast operations, coordinating publishing and conferences.[7]
In 1999, Edelman joined Digitas, becoming the leader of their strategy and analysis practice. In 2002, Edelman was promoted to the role of Chief Marketing Officer, which was a new role created by chairman and CEO David Kenny to scale Digitas’ business and increase brand awareness.[8]
In 2008, Edelman joined McKinsey & Company as a partner, where he co-led the Global Digital Marketing and Sales Practice and served as Chief Marketing Officer for the Marketing and Sales Practice. During his 8-year tenure at McKinsey, Edelman worked with CMOs and senior executives across industries, advising client organizations on implementing digital transformation strategies and developing new digital capabilities.
In 2016, Edelman joined Aetna as its first Chief Marketing Officer,[9] and led the launch of Aetna’s rebranding with a campaign focused on “you don’t join us, we join you.”[10] He built an “Office of the Consumer” to guide design of new member experiences, and centralized marketing technology.
In addition to his current role at Aetna, Edelman is also on the Board of Trustees of The Walnut Hill School for the Arts, in Natick, Massachusetts.[11]
Speaking, contributed writing and awards
Edelman speaks frequently at industry conferences around the world, and has published numerous articles in leading business publications such as the Harvard Business Review and Forbes on topics ranging from branding in the digital age,[12] to mastering digital marketing,[13] and improving CMO/COO collaboration.[14] He has also written extensively about digital strategies,[15] consumer behavior,[16] using data to make better decisions,[17] and the Customer Decision Journey.[18] Edelman has participated in webinars and podcasts discussing the digital customer journey,[19] marketing technology,[20] and digital transformation in healthcare.[21] He also periodically guest teaches classes at Harvard Business School.
Edelman has been listed among Twitter’s most influential CMOs and smartest marketers on Twitter by publications like Forbes,[22] Business Insider,[23] and Inc.[24] for multiple consecutive years[25][26][27][28] and has contributed to a book on social media marketing.[29]
Personal life
Edelman married Miriam Elizabeth Adams in September 1987. Adams is a psychotherapist in private practice with a PhD from the Harvard School of Public Health and a Master of Social Work from Simmons College. They have three adult children, Claire, Matthew, and Andrew. They currently live in Massachusetts with their two Labradoodles.
References
- Olenski, Steve (May 11, 2018). "From Consultant To First-Time CMO: Aetna's New Marketing Head Shares Some Insights". Forbes. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveedelman/details/experience/. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
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(help) - https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=725039. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
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(help) - "Executive Profile Aetna Inc. David C. Edelman". Boardroom Insiders. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- Galetto, Molly (July 11, 2017). "Anatomy of a CMO: What Makes a Successful CMO?". NG Data. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- Dipasquale, Cara B. (July 8, 2002). "The Player: Edelman will try to bring it all together for Digitas". AdAge. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- "Segment-of-One Marketing". Boston Consulting Group. January 1, 1989. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- "Digitas Names David Edelman to New CMO Post". AdWeek.
- "Aetna Taps McKinsey's Edelman As CMO, Former Digitas Exec Expert On Digital". MediaPost.
- "You don't join us, we join you". Aetna.
- "Walnut Hill School for the Arts Board of Trustees".
- "Branding in the Digital Age: You're Spending Your Money in All the Wrong Places". Harvard Business Review.
- "Mastering digital marketing". McKinsey & Company.
- "A Step-by-Step Plan to Improve CMO-COO Collaboration". Harvard Business Review.
- "Are today's marketers confident in their digital efforts?". Quartz.
- "Identifying moments in the customer journey: Interview with McKinsey's David Edelman".
- "McKinsey & Company Tells Digital Marketers To Increase Agility, Remove Friction And Trust Your Data".
- "McKinsey Digital Leader: The Journey Wins, Not The Tech".
- "Shaping the Digital Customer Journey". Harvard Business Review.
- "Marketing Technology Is Far Too Complicated: Here's What You Can Do About It". Forbes.
- "Aetna CMO: Digital Transformation in Healthcare with David Edelman". CXO Talk.
- "The World's 50 Most Influential CMOs 2017".
- "54 Smart Thinkers Everyone Should Follow On Twitter". Business Insider.
- "25 Interesting CMOs Worth Following on Twitter". Inc.
- "Top CMOs on Twitter".
- "Top 20 Business Thinkers on Twitter".
- "15 Of The Most Interesting CMOs On Twitter".
- "25 Interesting CMOs Worth Following on Twitter".
- "The Social Employee".